New Volvo S60 review: A compelling buy?

May 08, 2014, 11.05 AM IST

New Volvo S60 review

Pranbihanga Borpuzari, ET Bureau

The Volvo S60 is the Swedish car maker's luxury sedan, which takes on the likes of Mercedes C Class, BMW 3 Series and the Audi A4. While the sedan has always been a very able luxury car, the new S60 with its facelift and changes on the interiors wants to take competition head on.

In the new S60, the car's handling, design and controls have been changed with a comprehensive series of updates. The exterior boasts of a tougher road hugging stance while still retaining the clean and contemporary Scandinavian design.

1/12

Exterior

The car gets a facelift, which is both pleasing and a tad disappointing. Gone are the very distinct separate running-light slashes found in the earlier model. It was one aspect of the Volvo cars that made them stand apart from the rest in the pack. The car is more conventional and mainstream now when viewed from the front. The car gets a wide new grille and daytime running lights.

The classic Volvo V-shaped sculpted bonnet is a good design element and gives it a new almost sports car type look. It gets elegant, simple and clean lines running from the horizontal headlights through till the tail lamps.

2/12

Enhanced appeal

It is clear that emphasis was given to the S60's horizontal lines at both the front and the rear, which enhances its appeal when viewed from any angle. With a squat presence, the car sits nicely at a height of 1484 mm and length of 4635 mm. The rear of the car has been left largely untouched, which is a good thing. The unique boomerang-style tail lamps continue in the new S60 along with the big Volvo badging at the centre of the boot.

The D5 Summum variant gets the new dual integrated tailpipes, which enhances the look of the car. The engineers at Volvo have done a good job with the fact that at operating temperature, the tailpipes have to remain perfectly in place despite the exhaust system expanding in length by up to 25 mm.

3/12

Interiors

The big change on the interiors is in the form of the Thin Film Transistor (TFT) instrument cluster. The digital TFT instrument cluster with 3 modes is a technology more commonly found in modern day monitors and televisions. The S60 lets you choose from 3 graphic display themes - Elegance (Amberish), ECO (Greenish), and Performance (Sporty Reddish).

The TFT made its appearance in India with the Volvo V40 Cross Country and it is good that Volvo is now incorporating this technology across the lineup. The different driving modes transform the interactive dashboard in different hues of colour , monitors driving, and assists in maintaining optimization.

4/12

Elegance mode

Elegance mode provides the digital version of your previous analog clusters while Eco displays all the information that ensures economic driving with the eco meter and fuel-consumption displayed against a green background.

Performance, on the other hand is bright and all about power. It displays speed in the center of the cluster with a power meter on the right of the cluster in a red background.

5/12

Ergonomically designed seats

The seats of the S60 have been ergonomically designed. It is comfortable with supporting side cushions and a good amount of padding. The S60 also allows a wide choice of upholstery materials and designs.

It gets fully adjustable front seats, which are electrically powered with remote memory. Electronic Climate Control (ECC), Interior Air Quality System (IAQS), adjustable rear air vents, tinted windows, heat-reflecting windscreen, electrically powered glass sunroof, and heated seats are some of the other offerings in the new S60.

6/12

Cruise control, speed limiter

The equipment list on the car is long with cruise control, speed limiter, ambient temperature gauge, park assist sensors (rear and front), rain sensor, daylight sensor, electrically adjustable heated outer rear-view mirrors, multifunctional door mirrors, and automatically dimmed inner rear-view mirror. It gets integrated Bluetooth handsfree system and a high Performance audio system with a 5-inch screen or a 7-inch screen on the D5 variant.

The music system has AUX input/USB port, MP3 compatibility, steering wheel and remote control. The performance of the music system is good and is comparable to the other luxury cars in the price range.

7/12

Engine and Transmission:

Volvo has not introduced its much acclaimed Drive- E engines in India and this seems to be an opportunity gone missing. The S60 comes only in diesel power train- D4 and D5. The five cylinder 1984cc D4 engine churns out 161bhp and 400Nm of max torque. The engine is good and offers plenty in terms of mid-range power. There is a hint of turbolag but that quickly dissipates as you floor the pedal. It is good to drive in the city and very able on the highways. On our review the engine did well in the hills with good pulling power.

The D5 engine on the other hand is a 2400cc mill that produces 215 bhp and a health 440 Nm of torque. Both the engines are mated to a six-speed Geartronic transmission. Gear shifts are a tad slow but it does get a sport mode for more active driving. When it is activated, the gearbox reacts more urgently to throttle inputs and allows the engine higher revs during acceleration.

8/12

Driving & Handling:

Volvo cars are well known for their ride and handling and the new S60 does not disappoint. It is stable and precise at high speeds and steering responses are spot on. Tight corners, sharp bends are all handled handsomely by the car and with minimum fuss. Its highway handling performance is comparable to its German counterparts with good stability and minimum body roll.

Stability and traction is possible because of the R17 (in D4 Kinetic) and R18 (in D4 Summum and D5 Summum) tyres that come on the smoked alloy wheels. The slim tyres, however, produces a discomforting thud every time it passes over a pothole. Given the condition of many Indian roads, the going for the S60 on these roads can be slow. The S60, otherwise, gives you very little to complain when it comes to driving and handling.

9/12

Safety:

For a company that is synonymous with safety, the S60 is loaded. Volvo's new goal is that, by 2020, nobody shall be seriously injured or killed in a new Volvo. At the heart of its technology is the City Safety. City Safety is a laser-based technology that can sense an impending collision at speeds of up to 50km/h. In the first instance, City Safety prepares the brakes so that they respond faster when one presses the pedal.

And if one fails to brake, City Safety will apply the brakes and switch off the throttle to lessen the effects of a collision. If the difference in speed between the S60 and the one in front is less than 15km/h, City Safety can prevent a collision from happening in the first place.

10/12

Other features

Other features include the Dynamic Stability and Traction Control (DSTC) with Advanced Stability Control (ASC), Corner Traction Control (CTC), Engine Drag Control (EDC), anti-locking brakes with Emergency Brake Assistance (EBA), Active Bending Lights (ABL), Emergency Brake light (EBL), and water-repellent front side windows.

The passenger compartment has been reinforced, gets energy-absorbing frontal structure, Side Impact Protection System (SIPS), Roll-Over Protection System (ROPS), safety belts with pre-tensioners and load limiters, dual-stage airbags for driver and front passenger, collapsible steering column and also Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS).

11/12

Verdict:

The S60 is a very able car, which goes about doing its job in a very composed manner. Even though we would have liked the new engine lineup, the existing one does a good job. The car is impressive in its ride quality and its performance on the highway. The new TFT display brightens up the interiors and makes it a nice place to be in. For a car built like a tank, its safety specs are top notch.

When compared to the BMV 3 Series, the Audi A4 and the Mercedes C Class, it may fall a tad short in terms of sportiness but it is a very likeable car. At prices ranging between Rs. 29. 90 lakh to Rs 35. 50 lakh, the S60 is a very compelling buy.